The Middle East and Bible Prophecy

Bible light on current events

THE Middle East is the most keenly watched area of the world. And little wonder: it is central to the economic stability of the world. The September 11, 2001 attacks in America, and many terrorist attacks in other parts of the world are linked to the problems in the Middle East. All the major world powers are therefore drawn into the possibility of serious conflict, and for many years the Middle East has been the most likely place for World War Ill to begin. This explains the urgency for lasting peace treaties and long-term security arrangements.

Why the Middle East?

When we ask why the Middle East has been so important we have only to consider one word – oil. The world’s economies have been (and still are) dependent upon Middle East oil. After the Yom Kippur war in 1973 the Arabs used the oil weapon to devastating effect. The price of oil was raised and supplies were cut. The following ten years were known as ‘the oil decade’. Western economies were severely disrupted, suffering the crippling burdens of inflation, recession and unemployment. Developing countries, spurred on by the high price of oil, sought to exploit their own natural resources and borrowed heavily from western banks. The fall in oil prices in the 1980s bankrupted these countries who then could not repay the interest on the loans, let alone the loans themselves. The consequence is that all nations, strong and weak, have been drawn closer into the politics of the Middle East.

But the Middle East has only relatively recently been so important. The recent history of the area can be divided into three phases:

Phase 1: The first phase began in the 19th century when Britain, France and Russia developed their imperialist ambitions. Whoever controlled the Middle East controlled the trade routes to India. What became known as the ‘Eastern Question’ was the policy of Britain to prop up Turkey as a buffer against Russian ambitions to obtain a Mediterranean seaport. The First World War saw the end of this phase, with Britain and France replacing Turkey as protectors of Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Syria.

Phase 2: The second phase occupied the period between World War I and World War II. To understand what happened then we need to recognise the new force which emerged towards the end of the 19th century – Zionism, the movement to create a homeland for Jews in Palestine. In 1917 the British Foreign Secretary announced what was known as the Balfour Declaration which committed the British Government to support the idea of a national home for the Jews in Palestine. The Declaration also said that nothing should be done to infringe the rights of the Palestinians. Yet ancient conflicts reawakened as Arab as well as Jewish nationalism grew.

Phase 3: The League of Nations after the First World War gave Britain the Mandate over Palestine which she held until 1948. In 1948 Israel declared itself an independent State, and was formally recognised by the United Nations. So began the third phase of Middle East politics and the bitter conflicts which have continued ever since.

Looking back over this history it is easy to identify the factors which led to the present situation. But in the 19th century who could have predicted that out of the conflicting ambitions of the world powers would come the State of Israel – the most troubled and potentially explosive place on earth? One noted historian wrote in 1980:

“A century ago geo-politicians could have foreseen the continued colonisation by Russia and the United States of the empty lands to the East and West; but who could have foreseen that far more astounding colonisation in the eastern Mediterranean, the creation of the State of Israel? We may like it or not … we may deplore it as the last western crusade, the latest venture of western imperialism, seeking not trade but settlement … but we cannot deny that it is an extraordinary historical achievement.” (Hugh Trevor-Roper, History and Imagination)

Readers may be surprised to learn that Bible students did dare to predict what would happen – and got it right. Take the following example written by a Christadelphian in 1849, long before Zionism was born:

“The restoration of Israel is a most important feature in the divine economy. It is indispensable to the setting up of the Kingdom of God … the restoration of the Jews is a work of time, and will require between 50 and 60 years to accomplish … There are two stages in the restoration of the Jews, the first is before the battle of Armageddon; and the second after it … The pre-adventual colonisation of Palestine (i.e. the settlement of the land before the return of Christ) will be on purely political principles; and the Jewish colonists will return in unbelief of the Messiahship of Jesus.”

The writer, Dr. John Thomas, was not a prophet; simply an ardent student and believer of Bible prophecy. But how could a Bible student be so confident that the land, which was for centuries a wilderness of little consequence, would become the most important place on earth? This booklet is intended to answer that question and to show how the Bible maps out world events in advance, so that men and women may understand that God is controlling affairs according to a pre-determined plan.

The land of promise

From the very first book of the Bible the Middle East has been at the forefront of God’s plan for mankind. More than 3,000 years ago, God called Abraham to leave his home in one of the great cities of antiquity, Ur of the Chaldees, to wander in Palestine as a nomad. Abraham obeyed because he believed and trusted God. He was to become the father of both Jewish and Arab nations.

God made promises to Abraham which were at the very heart of the Christian Gospel. The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:8 that God “preached before the gospel unto Abraham”! Those promises were about the nation of Israel, the land of Palestine and about one descendant in particular. God would give the land of Palestine to Abraham as an everlasting possession. The promise is contained in the words: “All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever” (Genesis 13:15). This promise is yet to be fulfilled. Abraham is dead and buried. How could he inherit the land “for ever”?

It is at this point that we have to realise that the fulfilment of the promises rests upon the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, though Son of God, was also the descendant of Abraham through Mary his mother. He was the promised “seed”, or descendant, of whom God spoke to Abraham. It was the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to make possible the blessing of the forgiveness of sins by which men and women may have everlasting life. The Bible teaches that Abraham, because of his faith in God’s promises, including the future “seed”, received forgiveness of sins and will be raised from the dead. He will then be given everlasting life so that he may inherit the land of promise “for ever”.

The New Testament sets Abraham before us as the great example of how to please God – by believing what God has promised. Through Jesus Christ those same promises are today open to all people who share the faith of Abraham, whether they be Jews or Gentiles:

“So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” (Galatians 3:9)

“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29)